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Quick & Easy Paperclip Chains
Commercial chain prices continue to climb alongside the cost of precious metals—making the ability to fabricate your own stylish, affordable chain more valuable than ever. In this virtual workshop, you'll learn to create elegant paperclip-style chains using long, hand-fabricated links that are quick to make, easy to customize, and perfect for showcasing pendants or wearing on their own.
We'll cover efficient techniques for forming and soldering uniform links, then connect them using solder-filled jump rings for clean, durable construction. You'll explore standard chain lengths, design variations, and practical soldering tips to streamline the fabrication process. To complete your chain, you'll also fabricate a simple yet secure forged hook-and-eye clasp that enhances both the function and overall design.
Whether you're making everyday staples or one-of-a-kind statement pieces, this workshop will give you the skills to confidently create beautiful handmade chains from scratch.
For more information about virtual courses, visit our Virtual Course FAQ page.
Meet the instructor
Kristin Mitsu Shiga (she/they) is a maker, educator and small business owner with more than 30 years of experience currently living and working in rural Oregon.
Throughout her career, Kristin’s desire to balance her individual studio practice and working as part of a larger team allowed her to build an unusual skill set that includes everything from nonprofit arts administration and bookkeeping to armature-building for stop-motion animation studios. From a long line of educators, Kristin is passionate about teaching and has shared her knowledge with students at venues all over the US including Penland, Arrowmont and Haystack Mountain schools of craft, along with programs she established in New York, Oregon and Hawai’i.
Kristin believes that service is a crucial component of any career and has served in a variety of volunteer roles and on numerous nonprofit boards since 2001. She currently serves on the boards of the Hawai'i Artist Collaboration and Frogwood Artist Collaboration, and is in her second term as Secretary of the Board of Directors of the American Craft Council (ACC).
Kristin has shown her work internationally, and is included in several notable collections, including the Kamm Artful Teapot Collection and the Permanent Collection of the White House. You will find her work published in numerous books and magazines, including Art Jewelry Today, The Art of Enameling, Metalsmith’s 2017 Exhibition in Print, and several of Lark’s 500 Series books. Learn more about Kristin’s past work on Oregon Artbeat (segment originally aired in 2010).
Materials & Tools
The following supplies will be used for course demonstrations and objectives. A suggested item and/or vendor has been provided below for reference. Click the vendor name to be redirected to a page where you can view the item. The quantities needed for each item are listed first. If ordering, please be aware that some items may come in larger quantities than needed for this class. We recommend not opening an item's packaging until the day of the workshop. Student participation during or in-between class sessions is not required - observers are welcome.
Consumables and Raw Materials:
1 x 2"x1/2" Silver Sheet Solder, 30-Ga., Hard (Rio Grande)
1 x 6' Sterling Silver Round Wire, 18-Ga., 1/2-Hard (Rio Grande)
1 x 3' Sterling Silver Solder-Filled Round Wire, 20-Ga., Dead-Soft (Rio Grande)
Basic Hand Tools
- 1 x Micro-Mark Spreading Plier (Micromark) or
- 1 x Large Ring Opening Plier (BM25)
- 1 x pack saw blades - 4/0 (RioGrande)
- 1 x burlife / bee's wax (RioGrande)
- 1 x bench pin (RioGrande)
- 1 x half round hand file - #2 cut (RioGrande)
Basic Home Studio
- 1 x set of needle files - #2 cut (RioGrande)
- 1 x half round forming pliers (RioGrande)
- 1 x ring clamp (RioGrande)
- 1 x steel block / steel surface (RioGrande)
- 1 x parallel pliers (RioGrande)
Basic Forming Tools
- 1 x Pine Round Dowel - 48 in. x 1 in. (Home Depot)
Basic Soldering/Torch Set-up
- 1 x fireproof area - steel sheet, tiles, etc. (Amazon or Home Depot)
- 1 x Solderite™ pad / pan with pumice (RioGrande or RioGrande)
- 1 x torch - Smith mini, Silversmith, or butane (RioGrande or RioGrande)
- 1 x #0 torch tip - if getting Silversmith (RioGrande)
- 1 x striker or lighter - Silversmith system has one (RioGrande)
- 1 x soldering tweezers (RioGrande)
- 1 x small brush - for flux
- 1 x Shade 5 tinted safety goggles (RioGrande)
- 1 x Cupronil Anti-Firescale Coating and Flux Combination, 1 Pint (Rio Grande)